1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to fishing apparatus. More specifically, it pertains to a fish gig for spearing flounder.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The flounder is a flat fish which is found in shallow sea water. The flounder typically buries itself in the sandy sea floor, sometimes only with its eyes uncovered. While founders are occasionally caught on fish hooks, they are more commonly caught by locating them buried in the sand and spearing them with some type of spear or gig. While many types of flounder gigs have been developed, a number of them are now illegal because they include barbs prohibited by law. Furthermore, even if such gigs are used, they tear the flesh of the fish when the gig is withdrawn or released. Other types of spears or gigs do not securely hold flounder thereupon as they are being removed from the water.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,216,141 discloses a flounder gig which has been well accepted over the past few years. This type of gig provides a spear having a pair of barbless prongs which are biased apart from each other but are drawn together, prior to use, so that the prongs are close to each other as the flounder is impaled thereon. An actuator plate having a pair of longitudinally spaced apart apertures is slidably carried on the spear. For initial use, the actuator plate is pushed toward the prongs drawing them together and placing them in a parallel position for initial use. When the fish is impaled by the prongs, the plate is engaged and pushed upwardly allowing the prongs to move apart from each other. Since the prongs are biased apart from each other, they have a tendency to spread apart. The resulting opposing forces tend to retain the flounder on the spear as the fish is removed from the water. Once the fish is removed, the actuator plate may be reset to its initial position for reuse.
In the flounder gig of U.S. Pat. No. 3,216,141, a flexible cable or chain is secured to a handle at one end thereof and to the actuator plate at the other. This limits the downward movement of the actuator plate to provide the proper initial setting and to prevent its accidental loss. However, such a chain or cable increases the cost of the gig and makes it somewhat more complex. In addition, the cable may rust and break necessitating its replacement. Furthermore, it may cause the gig to be accidently engaged on various objects when used. Although the flounder gig of U.S. Pat. No. 3,216,141 is one of the best presently available, it does have some undesirable characteristics.
The flounder gig of the present invention is similar to the one disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,216,141. It is provided with a handle at one end of which is secured a spear comprising a pair of outwardly biased legs and prongs. It is, also provided with a guide plate slidably carried by the spear which, in a terminal position near the distal end of the prongs, maintains the legs in a substantially spaced apart, parallel relationship. The guide plate may be retracted toward the handle, releasing the legs so that the prongs on opposing distal ends thereof spring outwardly to provide opposing forces for holding an impaled flounder thereon. The gig is improved over the prior art by providing a limiting device on the guide plate to limit its movement to a lowermost terminal position. This limits the downward movement of the guide plate, eliminating the use of a cable for this purpose.
Furthermore, the handle of the gig is designed so that the gig will float in sea water. Thus, if accidently dropped in the water it may be retrieved rather than sinking.
The flounder gig of the present invention is simple in construction, assembly and operation. It can be manufactured at a low cost. Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from reading the description which follows in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.